Vehicle and method for controlling the same

Abstract

A vehicle and a method controlling the same are provided to detect a seat jamming or a short-circuit of a seat control system. The vehicle includes a motor that rotates forward or backward to fold a seatback of a seat toward a seat cushion or unfold the seatback from the seat cushion. A current sensor sense an output current of the motor and a controller determine a seat jamming or a short-circuit of an output of the motor based on a magnitude of the output current sensed for a predetermined period of time during forward or backward rotation of the motor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle, comprising:
 a motor configured to rotate forward or backward to fold a seatback of a seat folded toward a seat cushion or unfold the seatback of the seat from the seat cushion; 
 a current sensor configured to sense an output current of the motor; and 
 a controller configured to determine a seat jamming or a short-circuit of an output of the motor based on a magnitude of the output current sensed for a predetermined time during forward or backward rotation of the motor, 
 wherein the controller is configured to stop the motor in response to determining that the output of the motor has been short circuited, 
 wherein the controller is configured to, in response to determining that the seat jamming or the short-circuit of the output of the motor has occurred, emit an alert signal through an alert screen or by flickering the seat. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the seat jamming has occurred when the output current sensed for a predetermined first reference period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined first reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a predetermined magnitude of load to be generated in a direction opposite to a direction in which the motor rotates forward or backward when the output current sensed for the predetermined first reference period of time is greater than or equal to the predetermined first reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor, and determine that the seat jamming has occurred based on the generated load. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the current sensor is configured to sense the output current for the first reference period of time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed from a start of the forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
     
     
       5. The vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the output of the motor has been short-circuited when the output current sensed for a predetermined second reference period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined second reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle of  claim 5 , wherein the first reference period of time is greater than the second reference period of time, and the first reference current is less than the second reference current. 
     
     
       7. The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the seat jamming is a state in which an object is caught with the seat when the seatback is folded or unfolded, and the short-circuit of the output of the motor is a state in which a circuit of the motor for outputting a current is short circuited. 
     
     
       8. The vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 operate the motor to return the seatback to an original position before the motor operates in response to determining that the seat jamming has occurred during forward or backward rotation of the motor; and 
 stop the motor in response to determining that the seat jamming has occurred during a return of the seatback to the original position. 
 
     
     
       9. The vehicle of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a switch configured to receive an input related to a folding command or an unfolding command of the seatback. 
 
     
     
       10. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:
 receiving, by a controller, an input related to a folding command or an unfolding command of a seatback of a seat; 
 sensing, by the controller, an output current of a motor rotating forward or backward to fold the seatback toward a seat cushion or unfold the seatback from the seat cushion; 
 determining, by the controller, a seat jamming or a short-circuit of an output of the motor based on a magnitude of the output current sensed for a predetermined period of time during forward or backward rotation of the motor; 
 in response to determining that the output of the motor has been short circuited, stopping, by the controller, the motor; and 
 in response to determining that the seat jamming or the short circuit of the output of the motor has occurred, emitting, by the controller, an alert signal through an alert screen or by flickering the seat. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the determining of the seat jamming includes:
 determining, by the controller, that the seat jamming has occurred when the output current sensed for a predetermined first reference period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined first reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the seat jamming includes:
 determining, by the controller, a predetermined magnitude of load to be generated in a direction opposite to a direction in which the motor rotates forward or backward when the output current sensed for the predetermined first reference period of time is greater than or equal to the predetermined first reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor; and 
 determining, by the controller, that the seat jamming has occurred based on the generated load. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sensing of the output current of the motor includes sensing, by the controller, the output current for the first reference period of time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed from a start of the forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the determining of the short-circuit of the output of the motor includes:
 determining, by the controller, that the output of the motor has been short-circuited when the output current sensed for a predetermined second reference period of time is greater than or equal to a predetermined second reference current during forward or backward rotation of the motor. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first reference time is greater than the second reference time, and the first reference current is less than the second reference current. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the motor is operated to return the seatback to an original position before the motor operates, in response to determining that the seat jamming has occurred during forward or backward rotation of the motor; and the motor is stopped in response to determining that the seat jamming has occurred during a return of the seatback to the original position.